Brand new MBP dead on arrival

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Level 1

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Brand new MBP dead on arrival

Hi everyone. I’m feeling incredibly frustrated.

a little backstory first.

right around Black Friday, ironically after purchasing an iPad, my MacBook Pro decided to do an update to Big Sur. After that, it wouldn’t boot. I tried doing the normal stuff like resetting the pram but nothing helped so I took it in to an authorized Mac repair service center and after having it for about a month and wiping my hard drive clean, I was told my logic board failed and that caused the battery to swell. I lost 4 years of data, which is really my fault for not backing it up.

Anyway, it’s been a couple of months now and I just received a brand new 16 inch intel MacBook Pro with all the top specs. Only one problem. Right out of the box, it has major issues. I’ve not even been able to charge it or get in to the laptop to set it up. I had it charging overnight and nothing. I tried using a different power brick and cord than what it came with and even different outlet just in case it was operator error but no dice. I click the power button to turn it on and it shoots out a puff of air from the fans, shows the low battery symbol, and quickly the display turns off again. I must have incredibly bad luck, because what are the odds? A brand new MBP (model a2141) dead on arrival right after my 3 year old MBP (model a1707) died on me? is Apple just putting out poor quality products now? I contacted support and they said in a few days a box will arrive for me to send it back for repairs. I don’t have a good feeling about this. Does anyone have input or advice? I feel like I made a big mistake getting another MacBook Pro.

MacBook

Posted on Feb 5, 2021 12:43 PM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Level 9

69,398 points

Feb 5, 2021 9:07 PM in response to teathyme

Apple ships the laptops with a minimal charge on the batteries (about 20% charge) due to safety issues for storage and shipping. If the battery becomes completely discharged it can prevent the system from powering on or even charging. If a battery is left completely discharged for too long it can permanently damage the battery. My guess is the battery has become completely drained after sitting for a month and a half. Or maybe you did just get unlucky and have a laptop with an issue (I've only seen one or two Apple laptops over the years that wouldn't power on right out of the box --- this is out of many thousands over 20 years). In most cases like this I would disconnect the battery to get the laptop to power on, then hot plug the battery which resolves the issue most times, but I don't recommend anyone opening up these USB-C Macs because they are hard to open and the cables and connections and parts are extremely fragile & delicate and very easily damaged even when a person is used to working on them. Allow an authorized Apple technician to do this as you may void your warranty and inherit an extremely expensive repair for accidental damage.

Try letting the laptop charge for a couple of days just in case it decides to begin charging.

Your only option is to have Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider repair the laptop under warranty for you. In some regions you may be able to mail the laptop to Apple for the repair. Click the "Get Support" link at the top right of this page to see the options available for your region.

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

69,398 points

Feb 5, 2021 6:49 PM in response to teathyme

I'm sorry you are having so many issues. I can imagine your frustrations as I have to support these new Macs every day and it is a nightmare.

Have you tried an SMC Reset (the instructions may be different for your new laptop so read the linked article carefully).

Try connecting the charger to the USB-C ports on the other side of the laptop.

Are you using the charger which shipped with the new laptop? The 16" model uses a 96W charger versus an 87W charger with the older 13" model.

Also connect the charger directly to the laptop. A USB-C mulit-port adapter, hub, or dock may not allow the full power of the charger get to the laptop itself.

If you have a hardware issue with the laptop you have 14 days to return it and get another one.

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Answer 3

teathyme Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 6, 2021 6:41 AM in response to HWTech

It has now been charging for two days straight and it has made no progress whatsoever. The fact that it is forcing out a small puff of air from the fans and showing a glitchy red line, not making any sound when plugged in, and no backlit keyboard etc all leads me to believe there is something more serious going on internally than just “the battery’s dead”.

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Answer 4

teathyme Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2021 8:31 PM in response to HWTech

Yes I attempted SMC and PRAM reset to no avail because the computer is not actually on or set up yet; it’s stuck on a charging screen as shown above in the photo I attached. In my post I think I stated that I plugged it in upon opening it with the charging brick and the usb c cable it came with and it did nothing. After a few hours I attempted to try another outlet, another usbc port on the machine etc to see if switching up some of those variables would help eliminate operator error. No dice. This MacBook Pro is dead on arrival. It was purchased for me as a gift around Xmas. It has been more than 14 days.

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Answer 5

teathyme Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2021 8:33 PM in response to teathyme

I’d also like to mention that there is no noise indicating the machine has been plugged in / is charging even when I try different usbc ports, different outlets in my home, and have also tried a different usb c cable and charging brick. Nothing has changed.

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Answer 6

teathyme Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 6, 2021 6:50 AM in response to HWTech

So how long exactly do MacBooks sit on the shelf at retailers? Surely longer than a month. And I’m sure many people have gotten them for people as gifts that weren’t opened immediately. I think that’s such a lame excuse. It seems like everyone is so quick to jump to conclusions like that which make absolutely no sense instead of just owning up to the fact that my machine has problems right out of the box just like my last MacBook Pro. Everyone keeps saying how rare this is yet I’ve had two in a row with hardware issues now. Last time Apple tried telling me the exact opposite about my laptop and said it was charged too often and needed to go dead more. Now you’re saying this one is too dead. Sure lol

wanna bet it’s a faulty logic board again? if anyone is reading this as a prospective customer steer far away from the MacBook pros with the Touch Bar.. 2/2 dead ones for me and thousands down the drain with nothing but two useless bricks in return

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Answer 7

teathyme Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2021 12:45 PM in response to teathyme

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Brand new MBP dead on arrival

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